内容摘要：Georgie Murray-Gourley, who lives in Taunton, said the "constant changing" of the midwives during the pregnancy was disappointing and made it "hard" to communicate.

Georgie Murray-Gourley, who lives in Taunton, said the "constant changing" of the midwives during the pregnancy was disappointing and made it "hard" to communicate.

Prof Simonoff agrees that there’s been a “steep incline” in people coming forward for assessment since the pandemic – but says this comes after years of “long-term under-recognition".She points to statistics on ADHD drugs. She would expect about 3 to 4% of children in the UK to need ADHD medication, but in reality, only 1 to 2% are actually using it. She thinks this shows that we are still underestimating the scale of the issue.

Prof Simonoff explains: “I think that's an important starting point for when we say, ‘My goodness, why are we seeing all these children now – are we over-identifying ADHD?’ We have under-diagnosed or under-recognised ADHD in the UK for many, many years.”In other words, we can expect more people to be diagnosed with ADHD now because services are playing catch-up.Thea Stein is chief executive of health think tank the Nuffield Trust. She’s got her own description for the recent increase in demand: “the Hump”. She says: “Diagnosis or desire to be diagnosed has risen because of knowledge and visibility – [it’s as] simple as that.”

According to Stein, the most immediate task is getting through the Hump, assessing the huge backlog of people on ADHD waiting lists. Then, in the longer-term, she thinks society will get better at spotting ADHD sooner in children. She hopes this will mean that they get better support from an early age, and take some of the pressure off adult services.She says: “I have real optimism that we will come through this period of time to a much better place as a society. What I don't have optimism about is that this is a quick fix.”

ADHD might be a new concept, but people struggling to concentrate is an old problem.

In 1798, Scottish doctor Sir Alexander Crichton wrote about a “disease of attention” with “an unnatural degree of mental restlessness.”, came in second place.

In Hartlepool, another seat forecast to go to Reform, Labour also held on comfortably with a majority of 7,698., after previously saying he would not, saw Reform surges in opinion polls.

At the same time, he took over from Mr Tice as Reform's leader and he has played a prominent role in the party's campaign.The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader has stood unsuccessfully to be an MP seven times, most recently in South Thanet, Kent, in the 2015 general election, when he finished second behind the Tory candidate.